Saving our Rural Phone Boxes - Council Vetos BT Plans to Scrap "Icons of England"

Saving our Rural Phone Boxes - Council Vetos BT Plans to Scrap "Icons of England"

BT may be on a mission to scrap all their uneconomic public phone boxes but thankfully local councils have a right of veto and are using it.

So I say well done to Winchester City Council which, according to this week's Hampshire Chroncicle, has just used its veto to preserve 37 of the 44 boxes threatened by BT. The reasons are mainly the poor level of mobile phone covereage or that they are in a key location for emergency calls.

This also follows a previous campaign in 2008 when residents convinced Winchester City Council to save 41 out of 43 blacklisted boxes.

Many of these boxes are our beloved red kiosks that are a part of our national heritage and promoted by Bill Bryon in the Campaign to Protect Rural England's fantastic and heart-warming book Icons of England ... so I have to say the romantic in me wants these to be preserved for posterity even if they are uneconomic.

BT does allow council's to "Adopt a Kiosk" (for £1 I think) with the wordings removed if they still want to save a kiosk for aesthetic or historic reasons butcannot justify the veto. Hopefully this will save even more and keep this dramatic element of our rural landscapes.

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Pub Signs Voted Top Icon of England

Pub Signs voted Top Icon of England

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has recently been asking us all to vote for our favourite English icons from their top 25.

Now the results are out and the worthy winner of the top slot is very deservedly our traditional Pub Signs. It is great to see our pub heritage recognised in this way, reminding us all of what an integral part of our culture our English pubs are.

To find out more click Pub Signs voted Top Icon of England.

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South Downs National Park Campaign Walk with Brian-Blessed

South Downs National Park Campaign Walk with Brian Blessed

Sunday 8th July is the 60th anniversary since the Hobhouse Report recommended to the then Government that 12 areas of land should be designated National Parks. Only the South Downs remains to be made a National Park and there is a strong campaign team trying to make this happen at last.

The South Downs Campaign (SDC) comprises over 100 organisations and they are marking the 60th anniversary with a walk lead by Brian Blessed, outgoing president of the Council of National Parks and a high profile supporter of SDC.

If you want to show your support for the South Downs being made a National Park then why not join them on their walk from Harting Down, West Sussex. Further information can be found at South Downs National Park Campaign Walk with Brian Blessed.

Today's pub walk: The Edinboro Castle in Camden, London.

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Promoting our Countryside as Part of our National Identity

Promoting our Countryside as Part of our National Identity

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has come up with a list of what defines our National Identity and it is interesting that many of these represent traditional values that will lie close to the hearts of most pub walkers.

The charity has created its "National List of Shared Treasures" as it wants to lobby Gordon Brown to promote them in his environmental policies. The list comprises:

• Classic countryside
• High quality food production
• Our finest landscapes
• A rich historic heritage
• World renowned cities towns and villages
• Access to local shops

For each one, the CPRE has defined the factors that make each item important to the nation, as well as key tests that will help us all to judge whether Mr Brown is serious in any stated intent to promote environmental policies. For example it cites the long-awaited formal confirmation of National Park status for the South Downs as a key test for "Our Finest Landscapes".

To read more about each of these "national icons", visit Countryside as part of our National Identity.

Today's pub walk: The King & Queen in Hamble, Hampshire.

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